Apple’s iPhones have changed the lives of many people – communication via calls and texts, social media, surfing the net and listening to our favourite music have now become synonymous with our hand-held device. Another great use for the phone is as a camera, producing great pictures to be shared with friends or converted into prints, mugs or other gifts on a site such as Photobox. However, there are plenty of ways of enhancing those photographs so that they look even better – here are five of the best:

Apps

Where to start? There is a huge number of applications that can utilise both cameras simultaneously, impose a whole range of filters that blur out irrelevant details, boost colours and sharpen lines, or turn the photograph into something completely different. For example, Enlight – one of Apple’s Apps of the year for 2015 – allows one to transform snaps into works of art using double exposure, adding texts and using masks. Macworld picked out seven of its favourite apps in this piece.

Tripod

If you can’t think about the concept of selfie sticks without feeling a little nauseous, but still want to take great photographs of yourself with loved ones and friends, then a miniature tripod will normally do the trick. For best results consider purchasing a gorilla-pod and wrapping it around a tree or sturdy object. As well as selfies you can also get some great external time lapse shots over a period of time, some perfectly still video, and even long-exposure shots (with the correct app).

There are two options for actually triggering the camera ‘shutter’. One is to use the timer, which means you have to scoot around and place yourself correctly in the allotted time. The other option is to get a…

Remote shutter

A remote shutter ‘clicker’ allows you to snap a series of picture remotely using a small, thumb-operated button that you can fit in a wallet or on a key ring. They’re usable on both an iPhone and Android phone, and eliminate the need to set a timer, which means you can snap a salvo of shots remotely – something you can’t do with such ease (or possibly at all) using the timer. Try it, and you’ll love it.

Optical zoom

When the iPhone 7 is released later this year it appears it will feature dual camera technology, and therefore will boast true optical zoom. This means that zooming will not diminish the quality of the picture (an experience smartphone users know well) and instead keeps the picture at the same resolution.

Until then, if you wish to keep the resolution the same while zooming in on wildlife or something in the distance, you’ll have to buy an external lens. There are plenty of good options but the most exciting might be these Zeiss lenses for the 6s, including a telephoto, wide angle and zoomable macro option. Your close-up photographs will lose that blockiness and gain in clarity.

External chargers

Ask any iPhone user’s biggest frustration with their otherwise excellent device, and they’ll probably complain about the battery life. Trusted Reviews found that it became extinct after 14 hours of heavy usage, although this diminishes considerably with age.

To get the best out of your smartphone and guarantee that you’ll have enough juice to snap throughout an entire day, then the best option is an external charger. BGR argued for the Jackery Leaf charger which also doubles as a case, meaning that it isn’t too bulky to be carried on the road.

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https://i2.wp.com/www.paisley.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/paisley.jpg?fit=1024%2C724&ssl=17241024Brian McGuirehttps://www.paisley.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/paisley-logo-trans.pngBrian McGuire2016-01-15 10:41:172016-01-15 10:41:17Five ways to make the most of your iPhone camera